JAMB releases 2026 UTME results of underage candidates

Nigeria’s Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has released the 2026 Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination results for candidates below the standard minimum admission age of 16.

JAMB said the release only allows candidates and their parents or guardians to know how they performed. The results cannot be used for admission or another official purpose unless a candidate qualifies for exceptional consideration. A candidate is considered underage for the 2026 admission exercise if they will be younger than 16 on September 30.

Candidates can check their scores by sending “RESULT” to 55019 or 66019 from the telephone number used during registration. JAMB spokesperson Fabian Benjamin said that taking the examination and receiving a result do not by themselves guarantee admission.

The board had withheld the results for months after more than 38,000 underage candidates registered for the 2026 UTME. Candidates who tried to check their scores when JAMB began releasing results in April received a “No Result Yet” message. The policy normally limits registration and participation to candidates who will be at least 16 by September 30, while allowing a narrow exception for exceptionally brilliant candidates who can show they are ready for tertiary education.

To proceed under that exception, candidates must score at least 320 out of 400 in the UTME. They must also achieve at least 80% in relevant Senior Secondary School Certificate Examination subjects where applicable, meet their institution’s Post-UTME standards and complete a final assessment by experts. JAMB said underage candidates must undergo dedicated Post-UTME screening, including at universities that have suspended their general screening exercise.

In 2025, only 85 of 41,027 underage candidates who sought admission consideration eventually qualified.

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Participation in the UTME and the release of a candidate’s result do not, in themselves, guarantee admission.